I read an article about the legality of open source encryption software. If the software has strong encryption, and is available to all, then it may be violating some laws. Specifically the Bureau of Industry and Security (part of the Department of Commerce) will have some things to say about it.Now I don't want to waste any time right now discussing whether it is wrong or right to block export of encryption technology. What I did find interesting was the top encryption algorithms used by open source developers. These include familiar names like DES, AES, and Diffie-Hellman. However another top algorithm was ElGamal. I have never heard of ElGamal before.
A little research shows that ElGamal is an asymmetric algorithm. It dates all the way back to 1985. It is mostly found in open source cryptographic applications. Perhaps that is why it is foreign to me. I normally do not keep on top of the open source scene.
